Song of Change
by Tigress Enchanter
Summary: [AU,eventual ShunsuiXNanao] The University is where everyone wants to go.  Only the talented and gifted are accepted.  What the admissions doesn't tell you is that there's a war going on between the preps and the punks outcasts R&R rating may increase
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Tsuki no Curse by Okina Reika (that's from Loveless 3). That's all.

At Seireitei University, there were two main groups; the preps and the outcasts. Most of the school was prep territory since there were more of them then there were outcasts. There were maybe ten outcasts all together. When forced to work together, it usually resulted of damage to the campus or some person. The professors had learned not to force the two groups onto each other. It was safer for each other that way. They only had to occasionally worry when the two groups had an encounter in the Chemistry lab. Mention "the incident" and all teachers will groan and bury their faces with their hands. It had been that horrible. The dorms had been closed for two weeks for repairs. The campus itself was a very beautiful, serene place. In the spring, the sakura trees scattered around campus would be in full bloom and the occasional petal would drift by on the slightest breeze. The school was known for not only its academics and athletics, but for its art program. A few famous artists emerged from its pool of the potentials. The headmaster, had high hopes for all of his students and refused to take sides, like most teachers had. He refused to, it just didn't seem right to base the punishment he dealt on a biased opinion of others.

Like most cliches, they leaders. The outcasts adored their representative of who they were; Ise Nanao. Around anyone outside of the outcasts, she was as frigid as the arctic in the winter; to those who had stood by her, she was kind and compassionate. Above all, she was there for any of her friends if they needed someone to lean on. Her smile was rare and thus cherished. As a student, she was focused, disciplined and bright. She caught onto things easily and excelled.

Now for the preps. There leader was a womanizer. He loved his women more than anything in the world. Kyōraku Shunsui. At his side was none other than Matsumoto Rangiku. Shunsui was the flirt. It didn't matter what girl he dated, he always flirted with the next. His love for the colors black and pink focused people's attention on his body, forcing them to notice his toned body and tan skin. There was no way around it. He didn't like to be the center of attention, but he didn't mind it. On the other hand, Matsumoto loved it. She loved to flaunt what she had and she did proudly. All the other girls, no matter how pretty or cute they were, were put to shame by Matsumoto's looks.

At one point, Shunsui, Matsumoto and Nanao had been friends. Those years had flown by fast. They had started their early years at the University and it had separated the trio in a heartbeat. Matsumoto followed Shunsui wherever he went, so it was expected that she followed him to the side of preps. Shunsui changed because of Kuchiki Byakuya; the former alpha. As soon as their first year at the Academy began, Byakuya had Shunsui pinned as his "heir". And Shunsui was more than happy to take the title. With that, he left Nanao behind as well as his ideals. Unfortunately for Byakuya, his younger sister, Rukia, was an outcast and close to Nanao.

The years turned like a wheel. The seasons passed and changed before their eyes. Before the trio knew it, they were enemies; trying to get rid of one another had each turn. Shunsui and Matsumoto often plotted together against Nanao, but it was rare for their plans to catch her in the snare. Usually the ice queen would sit on the rooftops of one of the dorms and watch their plans turn sour. Occasionally their antics would pull a laugh of her, but it was rare.

* * *

The fall day dawned bright and clear. No one wanted to move out of their warm beds. A few of the students were up and about for early classes, to get breakfast early, or just for the heck of it. Nanao was one of the last ones. She sat on the stairs of her residence hall with her sketchbook and iPod. The sounds of "Tsuki no Curse" by Okina Reika calmed her and woke her mind. The pencil that was clasped in her hand moved over the page in even, graceful strokes. In class later that day, she would paint it if she had the time. Or she would start on a brand new project. Some pictures were better left as simple as possible. In her opinion, it let others think and imagine. She checked her watch out of habit and sighed. Only a quarter till nine. She didn't have class till two that afternoon. Maybe she would go the Fine Arts Center and fine a practice room and run through some piano exercises. It had been a few weeks since she last played and that was because somehow her fingers had become stuck to the keys with little hope of freedom. The skin on the tips of her fingers was just starting to heal back. Until then, she kept band-aids on said fingers. Maybe this time Matsumoto hadn't put rubber cement on the keys. 

She closed her sketchbook with a soft 'thud' and stood up. It was a short walk to the Fine Arts Center; she would be able to get there quickly enough. It was a large building, most of the classrooms in the lower area. The stairs were steep and narrow compared to the ones in the residence halls. The practice rooms were incredibly tiny. Whoever had designed the rooms had given barely enough space to fit a piano and a bench inside. Add a person to the mix and it was just downright uncomfortable. But Nanao wanted to play. It seemed that the piano was her only real friend. The soft notes always calmed her restless spirit. Whenever she played, she was able to express her suppressed emotions.

The room was unusually cramped, but it didn't matter. Quietly, Nanao shut the door behind her. The bench didn't move much but she somehow managed to sit down. Her fingers rested lightly on the keys. Without a second thought, she began playing. Her mind didn't know what her fingers were doing. The notes flowed easily from her. The haunting melody pulled on her heart strings. She was so involved that she didn't hear the door crack open.

Shunsui knew his ex-best friend could play the piano well, but he didn't know she was that good. The song she played tugged on his heart, proving that he still had a heart. Those notes made him want to cry for losing Nanao. The other had been cold, yes, but she had been there for him when he needed a friend.

Suddenly, a cough rose in his throat and he couldn't stop it. The song stopped so abruptly. Nanao shot to her feet. She glared daggers at Shunsui before climbing over the piano bench and pushing past him. Shunsui watched the ice queen leave. She didn't even look back.

* * *

A/N: wipes forehead Well, there's the first chapter. The next chapter should be up by Wednesday at latest. And my boyfriend pointed out some stuff. I have this to say. Creative Liscense. So be kind and review! 

I'll give you a cookie and give you luffles if you do.


	2. On Strings of a Violin

Disclaimer: Me no own Bleach. Duh. 

And thanks to all you reviewed this story, or put it on either their alert or favorites list! gives cookies out

* * *

She fled to the art studio. The twisting turns and halls confused anyone who hadn't been down there for at least two weeks for class. She knew the maze of halls and doors like the back of hand. The basement was her sanctuary. She could get away and feel safe, but now it had been invaded. Nanao felt open and vulnerable. The art studio was her safest place and her final barrier between herself and other people.

She clutched her sketchbook to her side as she strode into the empty studio. Her only companion was the sunlight that streamed in through the windows. Her sketchbook made a soft thud on the table closest to the window. Nanao moved with ease around the studio, stopping at a shelf that was labeled with her name. She gathered pencils, markers, erasers, a piece of chalk, and assorted colored pencils before going back to the table and sitting down. The sketchbook was then flipped open and the pencil was pressed to the page.

Her muse disappeared as a cloud passed before the sun. A growl of frustration caught in her throat, but she suppressed it. She took a deep breath and rested the pencil on the space next to her sketchbook. With a sigh, she stood up and stretched. She had to clear her head. A walk around the studio should help that.

It was silent in the basement. Very silent. Most music and art students would not start filing in before two the afternoon at the earliest. Without a second though, she pulled out her trusty iPod out of her pocket. But she stopped.

Someone was in the basement. She had assumed that Shunsui had left after the encounter. It was such a soft sound. She didn't think.

It lured her out of the studio. As she turned around corners, it became louder and clearer. The sound became familiar. Somewhere in the back of Nanao's mind, it was very familiar, but she couldn't place it. As she walked down the halls, occasionally backtracking, it became the gentle voice of a violin. It was a melodic sound, full of emotion and memory.

She stopped outside one of the practice rooms. The door had been left ajar. Without even thinking that curiosity had killed the cat, Nanao peeked in. To say the least, she was shocked.

Kyōraku Shunsui was sitting on a bench, playing the violin. It had been a few years since she had last watched the man play the violin. That wasn't what shocked her most. Standing near Shunsui was a young boy Nanao had never seen before. He was rubbing his eyes and crying. After another moment or two of playing, the song ended. Shunsui placed the violin and bow on the bench next to him and whispered to the crying boy. After a moment, the small child nodded and disappeared. Right before Nanao's wide eyes.

Nanao began backing away slowly, disbelief shining like a beacon in her eyes, as Shunsui stood up and stretched. She was gone by the time he exited the practice room. He stared down the hall as if she was still there. His shoulders slumped as he sighed. She had been there watching after all.

"Maybe now the memories will come to you, Nanao-chan," he muttered to the empty space before turning to leave.

Nanao retreated back to the studio. All she did was sit down and stare at her sketchbook. What had she just seen? For some reason, the sight had struck her as familiar as brushing her teeth and she didn't understand why. Another minute passed before she came out of her stupor. She gathered her materials and walked out of the studio.

I've been working too hard lately. I'm hallucinating, that's it. I'm just going to go back my dorm, skip class, and sleep. Yeah, that's it. Hallucinations happen when you're stressed, right?

As she walked back to her dorm, she passed several groups. Their jabs rolled off of her back. She didn't even hear them. Her mind was too focused, too loud, too cluttered. A good nap was sure to cure that, right?

The stairs seemed to go on forever. Her legs began to groan with each step. That was the problem with having a dorm on third floor; so many stairs and no elevators in sight. A headache began to form between her temples. Why was she so tired all of a sudden? Her eyelids drooped dangerously as she unlocked the door to her dorm.

Hers was a single room. The bed, covered in a dark blue comforter, was pushed into one corner, her desk directly across from it, and the dresser was beside the desk. There were a few posters decorating her walls. A moment passed and Nanao fell on her bed and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

A/N: Done. Chapter 3 is in progress. This was finished during world history. Anyone have any clue what might happen? 


	3. Rebirth of Memories Forgotten

Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Bleach.

_

* * *

__Pressure crushed her. Her breath was swept away from her lungs and she couldn't't find it again. Yamamoto's pierced her heart, pulling her down to the earth. Her knees could no longer support her in her lithe body. She crumbled like a wilting flower under the pressure of a heavy rain. Sweat beaded on her skin. A fist clenched tightly around her heart. She couldn't't draw oxygen into her lungs to make the pain stop. Her lungs were on fire. At any moment she would die from the lack of air._

_"I am not patient enough to teach a baby bird like you how to breathe," Yamamoto ground out._

_She was falling, falling in oblivion. It wouldn't't be long before she lost all consciousness. Then the contact was broken. A flash of pink and a gentle touch to the top of her head calmed her a little. She almost had the strength to breathe. Her taicho had come to her aid._

_"It's alright," he told her gently. "Nanao-chan, hang in there." His voice was so gentle, so caring. She didn't know if she could hang on much longer. She managed a few shaky gasps. Sweat trickled down her face, her glasses slid down her nose, but she couldn't't find the energy to push them back in place._

_"Gomen, I shouldn't't have brought you along after all," he whispered. He sounded so sad, so hurt. Nanao wanted to tell him that she would be alright, that she was fine, but she couldn't't. She had wanted to follow. She was his fukutaicho! It was her privilege to follow him into danger and beyond! But she couldn't't think, could barely breathe. How could she even say those words? She couldn't't._

_She felt him warm his arms around her shaking body and shunpo her away. He cradled her in his arms, holding her against him. Gently, he put her down on a patch of grass. She took in breaths slowly and surely. For strength, she looked up into her taicho's warm, brown eyes. Her mind raced and whirled around in circles. Then he was gone and she was trying to regain precious oxygen._

_It's impossible. Even two captains can't…I was so naïve…It's.._

_"…hopeless, Kyōraku-taicho," she managed to say, but it was too late._

* * *

Nanao woke in a cold sweat, gasping as though she had been choking in her sleep. As she evened her breathing, she could hear someone knocking on her door. She chewed on her lip for a moment before pushing herself off of her bed to open her door. It only took a few seconds for her to compose herself creating the façade that everyone knew; the cold, heartless Ise-san.

"Hai?" she said as she answered the door. Before her was none other than Kyōraku Shunsui. Her eyes hardened at her ex-friend. "What do you want?" she asked a little too coldly.

"I wanted to know if you wanted to grab some coffee with me," he told her plainly. He leaned against the doorframe, peering in her room for a moment before looking back to her. "What do you say?"

"No thank you," she answered. "I have a class in a little bit and I need to get going."

"Why not skip class? It's not the hardest thing in the world to do here," he argued.

"I'm sorry that I'm not a frivolous, half-assed student, Kyōraku-senpai. Now if you'll excuse, I need to gather my things for class." With that, she closed the door in his face.

"Damn," Shunsui muttered under his breath. "I thought a couple of centuries would have loosened her up, but damn." So he stood there and waited for her to come out.

Nanao came out of her room with a tote bag slung over a shoulder while she cradled a few textbooks to her chest.

"Jeez, now I don't have an excuse to skip class," she heard Shunsui grumble with a dark humor.

"Class can be very informative, senpai. Especially with midterms around the corner," she pointed out.

"Call me Shunsui," he told her. "We used to be friends after all, Nanao-chan."

Nanao looked up at Shunsui with cold eyes. "I don't recall ever being friends with a traitor, senpai."

Shunsui winced. He had forgotten how sharp Nanao's tongue could be. But he let her go. Not another word called out to her. He could wait, he had waited for centuries before and he could wait a little while longer.

* * *

History class bored her tears, almost. She had heard the same thing since high school. War…blah blah…treaty…blah blah…another war, and the cycle always repeated itself. Finally, the hour passed and she was free to go back to her dorm for the remainder of the evening. She sighed and stopped to clean her glasses on her shirt.

Suddenly, her head started pounding. It wasn't one of her normal headaches that came from too much studying. This headache was almost crippling. She couldn't see straight. Her hand came to meet a wall. But it wasn't the wall that it met, it was someone's arm.

"You can feel it too can't you, Nanao-chan?" That voice belonged to one person and one person alone.

"What?" she managed to ask.

"Stay here, I'll be back. Whatever you do, don't move from this spot." She felt a pair of hands squeeze her shoulders and then the presence was gone. All she heard was a ear-splitting scream. When she managed to open her eyes she saw a large, monster was the best word of it, towering over Kyōraku Shunsui. Her eyes widened. The monster was bleeding. Then Shunsui was gone from her vision and back as the monster began to crumble away to nothing. The pain between her temples disappeared.

"Are you alright?" Shunsui was back. She scrambled to her feet. When had she fallen? It didn't matter. She stared at him.

"We need to talk," he began. "Before another appears."

"What was that thing?" Nanao demanded.

"Not here." Shunsui gently grabbed her arm.

"Answer me!" she snapped, jerking her arm out of his grip. "What the hell was that thing!"

Shunsui sighed before looking down at her. He placed his arm beside her head. "I think you know, Nanao-chan. The name of that spirit is somewhere hidden your mind. It's up to you to uncover it. Now, what was that thing?"

He was too close to her. Way too close. She couldn't think straight. "If I come up with the name, will you remove yourself from my personal space bubble?"

"Maybe," he answered. That didn't help Nanao's spirits.

Then it clicked in her head. "Hollow. That thing was a Hollow. An evil spirit."

"Good girl," Shunsui purred, leaning his face closer to hers. Immediately, Nanao reached up and smacked him in the face with one of her books.

"Don't even think about it," she growled at him.

"Wouldn't dream of it, my lovely Nanao-chan," he told her.

She continued to glare at him for another minute for making a move to leave. He let her. It took her control not to run all the way back to her dorm. But she wasn't that undisciplined.

* * *

A/N: YAY! Chapter three's done! Next up is Chapter four! Sorry it took so long, a midterm go in my way. Thank you to everyone who has added this story to their favorites/alert list or reviewed! I really appreciate it! Arigato! -bows- 


	4. Another Thought, Another Breath

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

It was later afternoon when Nanao arrived at a house near the edge of campus. The sun was beginning its descent from the sky. It didn't even feel like fall, nor were the trees changing the colors of the leaves yet. Nanao sighed and knocked on the front door.

"You're late," a man growled at her when he opened the door. His good eye gleamed at her in a burst of anger.

"Gomen nasi, Zaraki-sensei. My last class ran long." Nanao quickly bowed in apology.

Kenpachi grunted in response and moved out of the doorway. "Make sure she doesn't eat any sugar. I want her to sleep tonight. And I assume you remember her bedtime?"

"Eight-thirty sharp," Nanao answered immediately as she made her way into the house, only to be attacked by a pink blob.

"Nanao-chaaaan!" the little girl chirped, clinging to Nanao's legs. "We're going to have fun, ne?"

"We'll try, okay?" she told the girl, patting her on the head.

"If anything happens to her, it's coming out of you, got it?" Kenpachi growled.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of Yachiru-chan," Nanao told him calmly. After all, she had been the only babysitter to be able to keep up with the hyperactive girl.

"I'm leaving," Kenpachi stated. Once again, it was another growl.

"Bye otō-san!" Yachiru called after her father before returning to clinging to Nanao's legs shyly.

Nanao sighed. "Have you done your homework, Yachiru-chan?"

"Eh…" was the answer she received. "Nanao-chan, it confuses me."

Nanao smiled and knelt down to be eye level with Yachiru. "Let's go work on it, ne?"

It didn't take long for Yachiru to finish her homework once Nanao explained the concept of adding and subtracting to her. Afterwards, the small girl plopped in front of the television to watch Mulan while Nanao ordered pizza for the two of them. It wasn't long into the movie, around the part where Mulan runs away from home to enlist in the army, that Yachiru fell asleep. Nanao smiled gently and placed a blanket over the girl. She would wake up once the pizza arrived.

A dull ache began to pound between her temples. "Not again," she grumbled as she reached for the Tylenol in her purse. That was before it worsened. Her eyes widened. Yachiru muttered in her sleep. Softly, Nanao swore under her breath. If it was another one of those – Hollows, then she was screwed and Yachiru along with her.

A shriek broke through the prolonged silence. And with it sounding, Yachiru woke up in fear. "Nanao-chan! Nanao-chan!" she cried out, throwing the blanket off and running to cling to Nanao.

"It's okay, Yachiru-chan," Nanao told her, patting her bubblegum pink hair. "I want you to stay inside. Don't leave this house for any reason. I'll be right back, okay?" With that, she turned to walk out the door.

"The monsters are back, aren't they?" Yachiru asked quietly. Nanao stopped with her hand poised to turn the doorknob. Her eyes wide open in shock.

"Most likely," Nanao answered truthfully.

Yachiru ran into the kitchen and ducked underneath the kitchen table. "Otō-san always tells me to stay here if he's not here and to call him."

Nanao nodded. "Do that and stay there." She ran out the door without a second thought. The evening air caressed her face and then the tranquility of it was shattered. Another blood curdling scream pierced through the air. The hair on the back of Nanao's neck stood on end.

There it was. Her blood chilled in her veins. It was bigger than the one she saw Shunsui get rid of. Much bigger. She could feel the ill will rolling off of it in waves. She almost choked on her own breath. What could she do? Her cell phone was in her purse, which was back in the house. Who would she call anyway?

* * *

Shunsui's head snapped up. The pen that was resting in his hand fell to the desk as he jumped up. He swore silently under his breath. He could feel Nanao's reiastu spike. There was a Hollow. Unfortunately, it wasn't one's average Hollow.

"What's wrong, Shunsui-kun?" Matsumoto asked from the floor where she was studying.

"Just a Menos Grande." Shunsui brushed his friend's concern away. "I'm just going to go take care of it."

"Be careful."

"I'll be back before you know it."

* * *

Nanao had to keep the Hollow from the house – away from Yachiru. What to do? What to do? Her hair was beginning to fall out, but she couldn't stop to pull it back. She didn't have time.

_"Ise-san!" someone called. Nanao turned around to see a small, timid girl from her class, Sasaki Aiko._

_"Hai?" she asked as Aiko approached her. "Do you need help with kido?"_

_She nodded and shyly looked at her feet. Nanao gave Aiko one of her rare smiles. "Don't worry, it's easy once you get the trick to it."_

_Nanao led her out into one of the training grounds. "Alright. Now imagine a circle. A dark one; the darker the better. Now imagine yourself diving into it. And that's all that's to it really."_

Nanao's eyes snapped open. Her eyes darkened behind her glasses. Then the glasses were gone, tucked away into pocket. "Come at me, baka," she growled, more to herself then to the Hollow.

The Hollow roared again. Nanao shunpoed closer, her hand raised in the air with lightning cradled in her palm. A jump later, the blue lightning was embedded into the Hollow's mask. It screeched in fury before smacking Nanao with the back of its hand, sending her into the ground. Pain crackled through her body. She could taste blood in her mouth.

It took effort to stand back up. She didn't have to speak for the binding to take hold of the monster. It screeched again in its fury. Nanao's smile was pure ice. Another burst of kido left her hands. In the pit of her stomach, she felt cold satisfaction.

But her body rebelled. She couldn't stand anymore, all the strength was sapped from her body. Her knees buckled underneath her. Had she used so much energy already? I can do so much better! I can beat this!

"Your body isn't used to using kido." A voice soothed her anger. Nanao looked up. She couldn't see clearly anymore now that she was spent. A calloused hand touched her cheek and brushed hair out of her face.

"Kyōraku-senpai?" she managed to say. She tried to lift her head. The hand came back to stroke her cheek.

"Hush, my lovely Nanao-chan. You've spent yourself, let me protect you again," he murmured to her before pulling away to face the Menos Grande.

The beast was injured drastically. Nanao had taken a lot out of it. It roared at the sight of Shunsui. He shrugged.

"Flowers fall in the wind, the god of flower weeps, the winds of heaven are falling, Buddha's laughing."

* * *

It took a while for Nanao to come out of her exhaustion induced sleep. She groaned as she tried to force herself to sit up. Her muscles protested loudly and their idea to go back to sleep was sounding better by the second.

"It's good to see that you're awake."

Nanao jumped and bit back a groan of pain. She turned her head to see none other than the Cheshire Cat, Shunsui. He leaned against the doorframe of the living room. She was in the Zaraki household.

"Rangiku-chan and I were wondering when you would start to remember," Shunsui spoke again.

"What are you talking about?" Nanao stared at him as if he was crazy.

"You'll find out soon enough, my lovely Nanao-chan." He winked at her. That only provoked her. With a skilled arm, Nanao threw a throw pillow at him, smacking him in the face with it. "Nanao-chan! That wasn't very nice! I think you should apologize to your taicho!"

"I am not your Nanao-chan! I belong to no one!" she yelled at him. Pain and exhaustion wrecked havoc on her nerves and patience. With that burst of anger, she flung herself off of the sofa to walk straight up to him. "I belong to only myself and no one else! And you're not my taicho! Not anymore! Nor will you ever be my taicho ever again!"

* * *

A/N: -wipes forehead- Chapter 4 is done! Sorry that it took so long, Over Thanksgiving Break I had no time really. Thank you to everyone who's reviewed/alerted/favorite this story! Your support means a lot to me! See you next time

Tigress


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